"Severance": A Show that Divides the Mind

An image replicating a Severance work environment (Photo creds: unsplash)

Jax Marsh, Staff Writer to The Powderhorn

“Severance”, a TV series that is currently streaming on Apple TV+, has just reached the milestone of becoming the number one series in Apple TV+ history. The show, a modern thriller created and directed by Ben Stiller and Dan Erickson in 2022, has reached fans in a seemingly immeasurable way. Recently, as of January 17, 2025, season two of “Severance” was released and hooked audiences worldwide, accruing more than 600 million minutes of viewership, with more than 1/3 of those minutes coming from season two alone.

“Severance” is a commentary show that emphasizes the heavy toll that a job can place on its employees. Some of the ways Stiller showcases that toll is by strategically making a work environment that is full of unappealing and mismatched colors like a dark green and a stark white. This environment creates an uneasy feeling with viewers by using the show’s mundane setting. After watching all of the episodes released so far, it’s obvious that one of the most intriguing parts of “Severance” is its small yet significant details that help boost the show to be the Apple TV+ number one series of all time. 

One of these small yet fascinating details that I’ve noticed has to do with another piece of the set. The set not only serves as the background for the show. It tells just as much, if not more, of the story than the actual actors. In the macro-data refinement section of the workplace, the four main characters, Scott S., Helly R., Irving B., and Dylan G., drone away every day on their computers in a four-sided cubicle with large, primitive computers on their desks. On these computers, they sort numbers into categories, with no knowledge of what sorting these numbers does and how it could benefit the company at all. However, if you look closely, you can notice that these computers actually have no escape key. Stiller includes details such as this one to drive the central idea in audiences’ minds: there is no escape.

I have been watching this show for a couple of years now, and I absolutely love it. Every episode seems to have a plot twist or some new, mind-blowing element. The acting is outstanding, and everyone directly involved in the show or behind the scenes does a tremendous job contributing to the greatness and uniqueness of “Severance”.